Alamanda was a

trobairitz The ''trobairitz'' () were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. ''Trobairitz'' is both singular and plural. The word ''trobairitz'' is first attested in the 13th-century roma ...

whose only surviving work is a ''

tenso A ''tenso'' (; french: tençon) is a style of troubadour song. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position; common topics relate to love or ethics. Usually, the tenso is written by two different poets, but several examples ...

'' with

Giraut de Bornelh Giraut de Bornelh (; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the ...

called '.Alamanda de Castelnau (1160–1223)
''S'ie us qier conseill, bella amia Alamanda''
Classical music online. In the past she was usually considered fictitious and the "''tenso''" was considered a piece of Giraut's writing. However, an Alamanda is mentioned by three other

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

s, including the trobairitz

Lombarda Lombarda (born c. 1190) was an early 13th-century trobairitz from Toulouse ( fl. 1217–1262) known only from her ''vida'' and a short ''tenso''. Though her name has been taken to imply that she was from Lombardy, it rather indicates that she w ...

, indicating that she was probably real and quite prominent in

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

poetic circles. Her ''

'' with Giraut de Bornelh mirrors in form a ''

canso The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is a representative body of companies that provide air traffic control. It represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). CANSO members are responsible for supporting ov ...

'' by the

Comtessa de Dia The Comtessa de Dia (Countess of Die), possibly named Beatritz or Isoarda (fl. c. 1175 or c. 1212), was a trobairitz (female troubadour). She is only known as the ''comtessa de Dia'' in contemporary documents, but was most likely the daughter o ...

. The trobairitz is probably identical with the Alamanda de Castelnau or Castelnou who was born around 1160. She was probably poetically active only briefly while spending her youth at the court of

Raymond V of Toulouse Raymond V ( oc, Ramon; c. 1134 – c. 1194) was Count of Toulouse from 1148 until his death in 1194. He was the son of Alphonse I of Toulouse and Faydida of Provence. Alphonse took his son with him on the Second Crusade in 1147. When Alpho ...

(reigned 1148-1194). She left his court to marry Guilhem de Castelnou and later became a

canoness Canoness is a member of a religious community of women living a simple life. Many communities observe the monastic Rule of St. Augustine. The name corresponds to the male equivalent, a canon. The origin and Rule are common to both. As with the ca ...

of Saint-Étienne at

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

, dying in 1223.

Sources

*Bruckner, Matilda Tomaryn; Shepard, Laurie; and White, Sarah. ''Songs of the Women Troubadours''. New York: Garland Publishing, 1995. . * M. L. Abbé Salvan

''Histoire Générale de l'église de Toulouse: Depuis les temps les plus recalés jusqu'à nos jours'' (Toulouse, 1859) (external link to

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

text) 1160s births 1223 deaths Trobairitz Year of birth uncertain 12th-century French troubadours 12th-century French women writers 13th-century French women {{france-poet-stub